This incredibly common bad sleep habit increases your risk of heart disease

This news may keep you up at night.

New research from Harvard University has revealed a link between evening light and an increased risk of heart disease. What’s more, the authors say, even small amounts of light at night can have serious, long-term consequences.

A small study used brain imaging and satellite measurements to determine the relationship between nighttime light exposure and cardiovascular risk.

The team linked greater exposure to artificial light at night to increased stress activity in the brain, inflammation of the arteries, and a higher likelihood of heart disease.

“We know that environmental factors such as air and noise pollution can cause heart disease by affecting our nerves and blood vessels through stress,” said senior study author Dr. Shady Abohashem, director of cardiac PET/CT imaging research at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

“Light pollution is very common, but we know little about how it affects the heart.”

Abohashem and his team analyzed data from 466 healthy adults with an average age of 55. All participants underwent a PET/CT scan and the amount of nighttime light in their home was measured.

Participants were scanned from 2005 to 2008. During the 10-year follow-up, 17% had major heart problems.

Participants who were exposed to more artificial light at night had higher brain stress activity, blood vessel inflammation and a higher risk of major cardiac events.

The greater the exposure, the greater the risk, and each standard deviation increase in light exposure was associated with a 35% and 22% increased risk of heart disease over the 5- and 10-year follow-up periods.

“We found an almost linear relationship between nighttime light and heart disease: the more nighttime light, the higher the risk. Even a small increase in nighttime light was associated with greater brain and arterial stress,” Abohashem said.

He explained that when the brain perceives stress, it can trigger an immune response that causes blood vessels to become inflamed.

“Over time, this process can contribute to hardening of the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke,” he added.

This increased risk persisted even after controlling for traditional risk factors such as noise pollution and socioeconomic status.

The risk was greatest among participants living in low-income and high-traffic neighborhoods.

The researchers hope their results will convince community leaders that reducing excessive artificial light at night is a public health issue.

Once the risk is identified, steps can be taken to reduce unnecessary outdoor lighting, cover street lights and/or use motion-sensitive lights.

“This study shows that light pollution is not only annoying; it can also increase the risk of heart disease,” Abohashem said.

“We hope that clinicians and policymakers will take the nocturnal exposure to light into account when developing prevention strategies.”

While investigating interventions that reduce nighttime light exposure and the ways these strategies may improve heart health, the study authors recommend that people keep their bedrooms dark and avoid screens before bed.

Experts also suggest using blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out harmful light.

Also, your heart isn’t the only thing affected by harmful light.

Previous research has shown that bright outdoor lights at night may increase the chance of Alzheimer’s disease more than other risk factors.

Artificial light at night can disrupt the body’s 24-hour biological clock and disrupt sleep. Sleep deprivation and insomnia are linked to cognitive decline.

Among seniors, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease was more closely related to light pollution than risk factors such as alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression and obesity.